How Stagflation Is Reshaping Long-Term Unemployment Costs

Episode 33 digs into a quiet but growing burden in this stagflationary economy: long-term unemployment. With the unemployment rate stuck at 4.3 percent and JOLTS job openings rising to 7.6 million, the number of Americans out of work for more than six months is climbing. Lucas and Luna explore how this shifts costs onto state unemployment insurance systems, local social services, and workers' long-term earnings potential. They reference data from the May 2026 jobs report preview, the surge in initial jobless claims to 225,000, and the hidden costs of skill depreciation. The conversation also touches on how employers are using the tight labor market to cherry-pick shorter-term unemployed candidates, leaving the long-term jobless trapped in a cycle that echoes the 1970s stagflation playbook. #Stagflation #LongTermUnemployment #JoblessClaims #LaborMarket #HiddenCosts #Economics #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #UnemploymentInsurance #SkillsGap #JOLTS #MayJobsReport #ADPPayrolls #Workforce #Inflation #SlowGrowth #1970sEchoes #HiringBias Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo